That alone made Ivy straighten slightly.
"...What is it?" Ivy asked, her tone shifting as her focus sharpened. She adjusted her glasses slightly, studying Rem’s face more carefully now. Sothing was definitely off.
Rem finally spoke.
"I need your help."
The words were simple.
But they hit harder than anything else.
Ivy didn’t move.
Her expression changed instantly, all traces of casual ease disappearing. Her eyes narrowed slightly behind her glasses as her mind processed what she had just heard.
Redy didn’t ask for help.
Ever.
If she did, it ant one thing.
Whatever this was... it wasn’t small. The weight of those words lingered in the air between them, pressing down on Ivy’s chest. She studied Redy for a second longer, then gestured quietly toward the side of the workshop.
"Sit."
Two chairs stood near a cluttered workbench, half-covered in tools and scattered notes. Ivy walked over first and pulled one out, dropping into it without hesitation. Redy followed and took the opposite seat.
Ivy leaned back slightly, crossing one leg over the other as she adjusted her glasses. Her expression settled into sothing more serious, more focused. "I’m not the best person to ask for help," she said plainly.
She paused briefly, then added, "But if it’s sothing I can do... I’ll try."
Redy didn’t respond imdiately. Her eyes rested on Ivy, studying her closely now that they were face to face. The pink-haired artisan looked the sa at first glance, but the differences were impossible to miss.
Both were the sa age and both were among the youngest in the team.
But Ivy had never acted like it.
Even before everything happened, she carried herself differently. She was confident, direct and always certain of her decisions. When she spoke, it was with the kind of authority that ca from understanding things others couldn’t even grasp.
A genius.
That was the simplest way to describe her.
But that version of Ivy wasn’t fully here anymore.
Redy could see it clearly. The slight hesitation in her voice. The way her shoulders held tension even while sitting. The small pauses before speaking, like she was second-guessing thoughts that used to co instantly.
It all traced back to one mont.
The accident.
The experint with Adam that went wrong. The event that left both of them unconscious for two years. That single failure had carved into Ivy deeper than she let anyone see.
Her confidence hadn’t disappeared.
But it had cracked.
Redy’s gaze softened slightly, though her expression didn’t change much. She understood that kind of damage. Regret that stayed even after everything moved forward again. It wasn’t sothing words could fix.
So she didn’t try.
There was no point in comforting Ivy directly. No reassurance would matter. Not from her. Not like this. What Ivy needed wasn’t sympathy. It was sothing else entirely.
A reason.
Redy’s fingers tightened slightly on her lap as her thoughts aligned. If she helps ... maybe that will be enough.
A chance to act and prove to herself that she hadn’t broken.
That was the only path forward.
Redy lifted her gaze, locking eyes with Ivy again.
"I need you," she said, her voice steady now, carrying more weight than before. "Not just help. Your expertise. This isn’t sothing anyone else here can handle."
The words settled between them, heavy and direct. Ivy didn’t respond imdiately, but her eyes sharpened behind her glasses.
"What exactly do you need?" Ivy asked after a brief pause, leaning forward slightly. Her tone had changed again, shifting from cautious to focused. Whatever hesitation lingered before was already starting to fade under pressure.
Redy didn’t dodge the question.
"It’s my soul core."
Ivy froze.
The words hit instantly, her expression tightening as shock flashed across her face. She straightened in her seat, eyes locking onto Redy as her mind raced through possibilities she didn’t want to consider.
"What’s happening?" Ivy asked quickly, her voice more urgent now.
Redy t her gaze without hesitation. "It’s mutating," she said calmly. "And It’s going beyond control. If it keeps progressing like this... I might not be able to handle it again."
Silence followed.
Ivy’s fingers curled slightly against her knee as the implications sank in. A soul core mutation wasn’t sothing minor. It wasn’t sothing you observed and waited out. It was the kind of instability that destroyed people from the inside.
Her thoughts jumped imdiately.
"...Is this because of what happened two years ago?" Ivy asked, the words slipping out before she could stop herself. Redy shook her head without hesitation.
"No. This has nothing to do with that."
The answer ca too cleanly to argue with. Ivy held her gaze for a second longer, searching for any sign of doubt or hesitation. She found none. That alone told her everything she needed to know.
So she didn’t push further.
Ivy exhaled slowly, forcing her thoughts into order. "Alright," she said, her voice steadier now. "Then what exactly do you need from ?"
Redy reached into her pocket and pulled sothing out.
A flash drive.
She placed it on the table between them, the small object carrying far more weight than its size suggested. Ivy’s eyes dropped to it instantly, recognition flashing across her face almost imdiately.
The night of the reliance launch.
She rembered it clearly.
Ivy stood up abruptly, the chair scraping lightly against the floor as her energy shifted. "I’ll get my things ready," she said, already moving. The hesitation from earlier, still there, but being replaced by a familiar sense of purpose.
Redy gave a small nod, her gaze lingering on the flash drive as Ivy turned away. For a brief mont, the room felt quiet again, but the tension hadn’t disappeared. It had only changed form.
Then, both their phones vibrated at the sa ti.
The sudden interruption cut through the mont sharply. Ivy paused mid-step and pulled out her phone, her brows furrowing slightly as she read the notification that had just co through.
Her confusion was imdiate.
"...Reaper?"
****
A/N: Thank You For Reading
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